Method of and system for making synthetic fossils

ABSTRACT

A method of producing relief reproductions of natural fossils, especially fossile birds of the Jurassic geological period, wherein a color-faithful image of the natural fossil is applied to a white paperboard surface which is screen printed with a white pattern corresponding to the bone and other hard-portioned patterns of the fossil. From the natural fossil, male and female die members are formed, faithful to the contours of the fossil and are used to emboss the paperboard in registry with the aforementioned image. The relief reproduction thus produced is cut out from the paperboard along the outline of the image and is attached to a natural stone slab, preferably by being recessed in a cavity of similar outline.

Elnited States Patent Weigert 1 Oct. 30, 1973 METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR MAKING 3,287,193 11/1966 Kleinn 156/59 SYNTHETIC FOSSILS [76] Inventor: Franz Weigert, Adalhert-Stifter- Primary Examiner-wimam A. Powell Strasse 13, D-8858, Newburg/ Almmey xafl ROSS Donau, Germany [22] Filed: Feb. 17, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT PP N05 116,197 A method of producing relief reproductions of natural fossils, especially fossile birds of the Jurassic geologi- 30 F A P r" Data cal period, wherein a color-faithful image of the natu- 1 b f pglca on no y P20 07 6431 ral fossil is applied to a white paperboard surface Fe many which is screen printed with a white pattern corresponding to the bone and other hard-portioned pat- [52] cl terns of the fossil. From the natural fossil, male and 156 293 264/132 female die members are formed, faithful to the con- 51 I t Bszb 31 00 tours of the fossil and are used to emboss the paperd 222 board in registry with the aforementioned image. The 6' "i" "g. 61 relief reproduction thus produced is cut out from the 267 2'77 3 7 paperboard along the outline of the image and is attached to a natural stone slab, preferably by being re- References Cited cessed in a cavity of similar outline.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 811,432 1/1906 Peake 161/5 x mm nnmso ma 3169.1 14

SHEET 2 OF 2 S/LICONE RUBBER SELF-HARDENING PLASTIC [6 73 71 f HEAT {(1 r \\fi\\\\\\\ THERMOPLASTIC E30 32 (3 Pyoro mass 3/ WWI/MM y 3 i z 3/ 1H 1 come PRINTING SCE6N PRINTING IMAGE I Q .2; 79 as I p HARDBOARD POSITIVE I I I akfima g PLASTIC NEGATIVE (E) 5 oz? CEMENT 36 37 Franz Weigerf INVENTOR.

NATURAL srorve" SLAB Attorney METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR MAKING SYNTHETIC FOSSILS FIELD OF THE INVENTION My present invention relates to a method of and a system for producing synthetic fossils or fossil reproductions and, more particularly, to a method of producing contour-faithful and color-faithful reproductions of fossil remains of animals, birds, reptiles and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Numerous methods of producing reproductions of naturally occurring fossils have been proposed in the past. On one hand, there were attempts to provide images of a fossil on a flat sheet or substrate by photo" graphic or printing methods and even by artistic renderings. With increasing perfection of photographic art, it has become possible to reproduce an image of the fossil which is almost perfect in the sense that all color nuances and variations are reproduced in the image. However, such flat portraits of the fossil are inherently unfaithful because of the inability of the photographic method to accurately convey the threedimensional sense required by the contours of the original subject.

On the other hand it has been proposed to provide three-dimensional or relief reproductions of fossils, but the only methods which have gained prominence in this line, are those which involve using the fossil as an embossing member and therefore may result in damage to the rare naturally occurring subject, or those which build up a relief using the naturally occurring fossil as a guide. Even when the latter relief structures are carefully painted or tinted, they are unfaithful to the color nuances and variations of the original. Hence the preparation or production of a three-dimensional or relief reproductions of a naturally occurring fossil has been a problem heretofore.

The problem is especially pronounced when attempts are made to form reproductions of winged, animal and reptile creatures of the upper Jurassic period of the Mesozoic geological age, this period being referred to frequently as the Malm. In this period, dating some 140 to 150 million years ago, the earliest winged creatures were embedded in strata which gave rise to the limestone beds of the upper Jurassic geological period. Consequently, when slabs of fossil-containing upper Jurassic limestone are recovered, the fossil remains of such winged creatures are revealed with elevated regions or ridges corresponding to the bone pattern of the creature and to the hard tissue, fins, ribs and the like. In addition, the naturally occuring fossil includes nuances and variations of color which are essential to the entire picture, as well as variations of gloss or brightness which appear to arise from the fossilization process.

While color photographs of such fossils are highly faithful to the color nuances as noted above, they have been found to be unavailing when reproduction of the contours is desired. Furthermore, the ridges corresponding to the fins or skeletal system are highly sensitive and cannot survive use of the fossil as a pattern for embossing a body.

Finally, I may mention that attempts to cast synthetic resin or materials of other compositions in the contours of the natural fossil have been ineffective in conveying a complete impression of the original, while systems using plastics as the raw material and attempting to mold the contours under heat and pressure have also failed on textural grounds. The use of engraved plates is, of course, dependent upon the skill of the engraver and represents a highly expensive method of producing the reproductions.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved method of making synthetic fossils or fossil reproductions whereby the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved method of making a fossil reproduction of low cost and high accuracy which does not detrimentally affect the natural fossil.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of making a color-faithful and contour-faithful reproduction of a naturally occuring fossil, especially a winged creature of the Jurassic period, which has the weight and appearance of the naturally occurring fossil.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the present invention, in a method of making a reproduction of a naturally occurring fossil which makes use of my discovery that embossed paperboard, suitably processed, constitutes a remarkable base for colr-faithful and contour-faithful reproductions.

More particularly, the paperboard having a white surface is color printed with an image of the naturally occurring fossil produced by conventional color photography, and is further screen printed with a white or whitish pattern corresponding to the skeleton or fin structure of the fossil. A male (positive) and a female (negative) die member are provided to impress the contours into the paperboard substrate in registry with the color-faithful image, thereby constituting on the image surface a relief faithful to the contours of the natural fossil.

, I may provide a coating ofa varnish oil in those areas in which gloss must be enhanced to correspond to the more glossy areas of the natural fossil. The screen printing of a white pattern corresponding to the skeletal system of the fossil, moreover, applies texture which is increased by the embossing operation to emphasize those portions of the fossil which remain in relief in the natural subject.

The process of the present invention makes use of the advantages of modern color photography and flatprocess printing, e.g., offset printing, which impart the color image to the white paperboard surface. It will be appreciated that present techniques of color reproduction permit the highly faithful transfer of the image of the original fossil to the paperboard substrate which is to be embossed subsequently in the formation of the three-dimensional or contoured synthetic fossil. The paperboard or cardboard preferably has a thickness such that 400 to 1,000 grams of the paper are provided per square meter, and a white surface.

I have already indicated that the embossing of the paperboard or cardboard is carried out with the aid of positive and negative (male and female) die members in a hydraulic or like press capable of delivering pressures of to 1,000 kg per cm.

I prefer to make these die members from hardboard and synthetic resin, preferably reinforced with wire screen or fabric inlays, by originally casting a silicone rubber on the natural fossil to produce a master negative. The latter serves as a form for a positive likewise produced by casting, preferably of a fabricor screenreinforced self-hardening resin capable of resisting compressive forces and having low compressibility. Suitable materials for this positive master are epoxy resins and polyacrylates cast in a solvent. In the next step of the present process, the negative or female die member is prepared by immersing the self-hardening positive into a body of thermosplastic synthetic resin, preferably reinforced by a wire screen, grid or fabric, under heat and pressure to faithfully and complementarily reproduce the contours of the original fiber in reverse or negative form. The positive or male die member may be produced using the female die member as the template and preferably consists of hardboard which may be deformed by the female die member under heat and pressure and can also be reinforced by a fabric, grid, or screen of wire.

The male and female die members register with the paperboard image which has previously been overprinted by screen-printing techniques with the skeletal pattern, preferably in a white ink or paint, and after a varnish oil has been applied to those areas in which enhanced gloss isdesired. The positive and negative die members, prepared as indicated above, have been found to be useful without damaging the image surface.

According to still another feature of the invention, the closeness of the reproduction may be enhanced by mounting the relief paperboard upon a slab of natural stone preferably derived from a stratum in which the original fossil was found or a similar stratum. In the case of Jurassic fossils derived from limestone formations, therefore, the slab may be composed of limestone and the relief paperboard may be secured to it by conventional adhesive techniques. It has been found to be advantageous to cut out the image of the fossil along its outline so that only the image is applied to the natural stone. In practice, it has also been found. to be advantageous to mill a recess in the natural stone along the contours of the cut-out paperboard relief and adhesively to mount the latter in this recess.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fossil to be reproduced;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the flat unit prior to embossment;

FIG. 3 is a similar section after embossment;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through an artificial fossil structure of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram representing the successive steps of the process.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION AND EXAMPLE In FiG. l, I show a naturally occurring fossil in a natural limestone block 11 of the upper Jurassic period. In this case the fossil is a primitive winged creature l2 (Archaeopterys Lithographica) which has a skeletal system represented at 13 and portions of enhanced gloss at 14. The latter portions correspond to the wings of the creature. This fossil has an age of about to I50 million years and is considered a precursor of the modern bird.

The fossil is reproduced basically from a paperboard substrate 1 of 400 to 1,000 g/m having a white upper surface 1a to which a color reproduction of the fossil is applied by conventional color-printing techniques. In this system, the fossil is photographed and color negatives are prepared for offset printing of the surface in a flat state. Once the image of the fossil has been printed as represented at 2, regions corresponding to the skeletal system 13 may be screen printed in white ink or painted upon the color reproduction and a film of varnish oil 3 may be applied in areas corresponding to the high-gloss regions of the naturally occurring fossil (FIG. 2). The substrate is then pressed (FIG. 3) as shown at 4 between a male die member and a female die member composed of material which does not damage the image. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a slab 6 of stone, preferably Jurassic limestone corresponding to the limestone in which the original fossil is found, is milled at 5 to provide a recess corresponding to the outline of the reproduction. The reproduction 4 is set into this re cess and held in place by an adhesive 7 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Hence FIG. 1 shows the finished product. This product has, of course, the coloration and configuration of the original fossil, a background and texture corresponding to the natural fossil, and the feel or weight thereof.

In FIG. 5, I have shown diagramatically the sequence of steps in which the simulated fossil is, formed. In step A, the naturally occurring fossil 11 in the limestone body 12 serves as a mold for the casting without pressure or heat which may damage the fossil, of silicone rubber 13 forming a negative whose contours 14 faithfully reproduce, complementarily, the configuration of the original fossil. This silicone rubber negative may contain a wire screen, grid or fabric reinforcement 15 which limits deformation of this negative during subsequent use.

In a second stage B, this silicone rubber negative 13 constitutes a mold for the casting of self-hardening synthetic-resin plastic 16 which also is provided with a wire grid, screen or fabric reinforcement 17. This selfhardening plastic may be an epoxy resin as noted above which flows into all of the crevices of the negative mold member 13 and acquires postive contours l8 corresponding to the contours of the original fossil. Since the molding of the positive 16 takes place without heat or pressure, there is no distortion of the negative 13.

In the next state (C), a thermally softening or thermoplastic negative 19 is formed from a material such as polyacrylic resinwith a wire screen, grid or fabric reinforcement 20 by heating the surface 21 of the plastic block and applying the hard positive 16 under pressure from a hydraulic ram arrangement 22. The contours 21 of the thermoplastic member 19, after hardening, constitute a negative against which the printed paperboard can be deformed. In step D, the positive 23 is made by pressing using the negative 19 and a ram 24, the positive having a reinforcing grid 25 of the type previously described. The postitive is composed of hardboard (stiff fiberboard) and corresponds faithfully in contour to the original fossil.

In step I, colateral with the sequence of steps previously described, the natural fossil 12 is photographed by a camera 30, the negatives of which are used to flat print the paperboard sheet 31 by offset or like printing methods, represented as using a printing roller 32 in stage II. The color printed image 33 on the paperboard 31 is overprinted by screen ink or paint 34, generally of white color, to correspond to the skeletal structure of the original fossil. In addition, varnish oil may be applied as described in connection with FIG. 2. The paperboard 31, provided with the image, is pressed between die members 19 and 23 in a hydraulic press 35 capable of delivering a pressure of 100 to 1,000 kg/cm to yield the relief 36 indicated in step F. ln this step, the image is cut away from the paperboard along its outline and is applied in step b with the aid of cement 37 to a slab 38 of natural limestone previously recessed in step a by a routing tool 40 or the like.

I claim: 1. A method of making a synthetic fossil comprising the steps of:

imprinting a surface of a flat paperboard with a colorfaithful image of a natural fossil; forming a male die member and a female die member with contours corresponding to those of said natural fossil; embossing said paperboard with said die members in registry with said image to produce a threedimensional reproduction of said natural fossil; screen printing on the surface of said paperboard bearing said image a pattern representing bone and ridge patterns of the natural fossil and corresponding to regions of greatest embossment by said die members, prior to embossing the paperboard; and

cutting the reproduction from said paperboard along the outline of said image and mounting the cut reproduction on a slab of natural stone to form a body having the weight and configuration of the natural fossil in its stone surroundings.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said slab is recessed conforming to said Outline and said reproduction is secured in said recess, said reproduction being varnished at least at selected portions to produce a gloss simulating the gloss of the natural fossil.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said paperboard has a weight of 400 to 1,000 g per m and said die members are applied against said paperboard at a pressure of to 1,000 kg per cm 4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein said natural fossil is a fossil bird of the Jurassic period and said stone is a Jurassic limestone.

5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein said die members are produced by:

a. forming a reinforced silicone-rubber negative from said natural fossil;

b. casting a reinforced self-hardening positive of synethetic resin in the silicone-rubber negative;

c. forming under heat and pressure a synthetic-resin negative against said positive; and

d. forming a reinforcement hardboard postive in said synthetic-resin negative, said hardboard positive and said synthetic-resin negative respectively constituting said male and female die members. 

1. A method of making a synthetic fossil comprising the steps of: imprinting a surface of a flat paperboard with a color-faithful image of a natural fossil; forming a male die member and a female die member with contours corresponding to those of said natural fossil; embossing said paperboard with said die members in registry with said imaGe to produce a three-dimensional reproduction of said natural fossil; screen printing on the surface of said paperboard bearing said image a pattern representing bone and ridge patterns of the natural fossil and corresponding to regions of greatest embossment by said die members, prior to embossing the paperboard; and cutting the reproduction from said paperboard along the outline of said image and mounting the cut reproduction on a slab of natural stone to form a body having the weight and configuration of the natural fossil in its stone surroundings.
 2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said slab is recessed conforming to said outline and said reproduction is secured in said recess, said reproduction being varnished at least at selected portions to produce a gloss simulating the gloss of the natural fossil.
 3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said paperboard has a weight of 400 to 1,000 g per m2 and said die members are applied against said paperboard at a pressure of 100 to 1,000 kg per cm2.
 4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein said natural fossil is a fossil bird of the Jurassic period and said stone is a Jurassic limestone.
 5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein said die members are produced by: a. forming a reinforced silicone-rubber negative from said natural fossil; b. casting a reinforced self-hardening positive of synthetic resin in the silicone-rubber negative; c. forming under heat and pressure a synthetic-resin negative against said positive; and d. forming a reinforcement hardboard postive in said synthetic-resin negative, said hardboard positive and said synthetic-resin negative respectively constituting said male and female die members. 